Edgar Ramirez Biography

Édgar Ramirez was born in San Cristóbal, Táchira, Venezuela. His father was a military officer, so Édgar spent much of his childhood traveling, resulting in his ability to speak five languages (Spanish, French, German, English, and Italian). He graduated with a degree in mass communications and originally planned to become a diplomat in international relations. But it was during his time studying journalism at the Andres Bello Catholic University in Caracas that he began to explore acting in various school-made short films.

His breakout role was as Cacique in the popular Venezuelan soap opera Cosita Rica. Édgar then made his feature film debut in 2005 portraying Keira Knightley’s love interest in Tony Scott’s action flick Domino, about the infamous model-turned-bounty-hunter Domino Harvey.

Some of his other notable appearances include Punto y Raya (Step Forward), which was submitted by Venezuela for Oscar consideration for Best Foreign Film in 2004, Steven Soderbergh’s Che (2008), and the short film La Hora Cero (The Magic Hour), directed by Guillermo Arriaga, acclaimed screenwriter of 21 Grams (2003).

In 2010, he transitioned back to television, starring in the French-German miniseries Carlos (directed by Carlos Assayas) as Carlos the Jackal, for which he received a Cesar Award for Most Promising Actor, as well as Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award nominations.

The multi-talented Édgar is not only known for his acting, but his many philanthropic efforts. He supports the No Dispares (Don’t Shoot) campaign by Amnesty International, whose purpose is to eliminate the current rate of gun-related deaths and injuries. In 2008, he took part in an event for 5 Senses in Action, an organization that benefits children with special needs. And in 2010, he was named a Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).